Public Safety

Lower gas prices mean more people on the roads this year for the Thanksgiving holiday, traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year. With millions expected to travel on North Carolina roads this Thanksgiving holiday, state officials are launching a statewide “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign. From Nov. 24-30, law enforcement agencies statewide will increase patrols as part of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program’s...

A Columbus County jury took less than an hour to find Cleon Cortez guilty of child sex crimes today (Nov. 21). Cleon Cortez, 53, was found guilty of taking indecent liberties with a minor and statutory sex offense, according to a release from the District Attorney’s Office. Cortex molested a child in a Tabor City home on Jan. 1, 2023, and was arrested the following May after an...

The State Highway Patrol today announced 55 new troopers graduated from its 166 Basic Patrol School, and one of them is coming to Columbus County. Christopher Renzi will begin work here Dec. 10. The troopers callsign will be B-541. Troopers must graduate a 15-week program designed to prepare them for the physical, mental, and moral challenges of modern law enforcement. Training included instruction in firearms proficiency, vehicle operation,...